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Don't Overthink Warriors/Suns NBA Picks: Golden State to Cover -5

Here's our prediction for Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors. The Suns find themselves on the outside looking in where the playoffs are concerned & they face the top team in all of basketball.

Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 pm ET at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. According to NBA odds, the Warriors are a 5 point road favorite and the total for the game is listed at 215.

Prospects don't look good for the Suns even at home as they haven't been playing well while the Warriors have won 3 consecutive games and 7 out of their last 10 games. Even when Stephen Curry plays poorly like he did against the Clippers, players like Draymond Green were there to pick up the slack. Phoenix might be in for a long night.

Best In the West
Aside from the turn around that the Atlanta Hawks have had this season, the Golden State Warriors have been the best team in the NBA. First year coach, Steve Kerr, had walked into a great situation that Mark Jackson had built and player's games have improved and this has been the difference as they currently have the best record in the NBA.

A lot of people will argue that Stephen Curry deserves the NBA MVP Award. He won the 3-point competition at All-Star Weekend and is clearly the best shooter in the NBA. While all of this is true, I think that James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Lebron James all have an edge on Curry. A big reason for the Golden State's success has been the improvement in the game of Klay Thompson. To me, this is the biggest reason why Golden State is such an improved basketball team.

Molding the Klay
We already know about the 37 point quarter that he had, but all of Thompson's numbers have went up. He went from a 18.4 point per game player to a 21.7 point per game scorer. Thompson's long ball numbers are up as he's currently shooting 43.2% from 3-point range and he's been nearly automatic from the free throw line at 87%. The combination of Thompson and Curry are nearly unstoppable. They have size and great ball handling ability. I don't see them having a problem against a Phoenix Suns team which has struggled. You know, when David Lee, who has been an 18 point, 10 rebound player for his entire career, is coming off of the bench, this team is really good.

Another problem for Phoenix is that they can't play defense. The Suns are allowing 104.8 points per game and that's an open invitation for Curry and Thompson to both have big nights.

A Bad Move
Although Goran Dragic hasn't been killing it for the Miami Heat, the move that sent Brandon Knight to Phoenix, hasn't worked out for the Suns thus far. Knight was coming into his own as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 18 points per game, but for the Suns, he just hasn't been the same player.

In his last 10 games, Knight has averaged 14.6 points per game on just 36.3% shooting from the field. On the Suns, Knight doesn't really know his role and shots that he would normally take as a member of the Bucks, he passes up to players such as Eric Bledsoe. This trade appeared to be a great one for the Suns, but after playing a portion of the year with Phoenix, we're realizing that this was a bad move and might actually knock the Suns out of the playoffs.

Outcome
The Suns have much more to play for here, but the Warriors are the far superior team .Even when Curry plays poorly, someone is there to cover him, as we saw in the win over Los Angeles. The Warriors get no rest, but this is a young team and should feel no adverse effects from the back to back. Take the Warriors and lay the points for your NBA picks.